1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for collecting, processing, and analyzing data generated during the flight of an aircraft, and more specifically, to a data processing system for collecting flight data and producing pilot log reports from that data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pilot log is a document used to record information concerning an aircraft flight for the purpose of tracking pilot hours and performance, and assisting in the identification of problems with the aircraft. Presently, every pilot has an individual Pilot Log Book in which certain flight information and a report of the flight are recorded. After each flight, the pilot reports to a ground station and someone at the station fills in the Log Book based on the pilot's description of the flight and the limited flight information (e.g., time of flight, fuel consumption, altitude level, airspeed, etc.) known to the pilot and ground station personnel. This flight information is typically restricted to that available from a pilot's recollections or air traffic control data. The Log Book provides the only easily accessible report on the flight conditions and the pilot's response to any problems encountered during the flight. It also provides a record of the aircraft's performance, and hence any indications of mechanical or system failures on board the aircraft.
However, the current system has inherent disadvantages. A manually prepared Pilot Log may include inaccuracies, both due to a pilot's failure to notice or recall potentially important details, and as a result of a pilot attempting to exclude events which might suggest pilot error. This can present a safety risk and can also cause the next pilot flying the aircraft to encounter a problem caused or not reported by a previous pilot. Being a manually prepared data record, the current Pilot Log system also is time consuming to prepare and is prone to errors in transcription, etc. In addition, with the large amount of data which can be used to describe a flight and track the response of both the pilot and aircraft, it desirable to have access to more of it than may be available through a pilot's recollections or recording of data during the flight, or that available to ground personnel from air traffic control computers.
An automated system for collection and management of flight data indicative of aircraft operating parameters and a pilot's actions would be useful, both to eliminate errors present in the preparation of current Pilot Logs and to provide a more complete record of events occurring during the flight of an aircraft. Such an error-free and more complete record could be used for evaluation of pilot performance and also to assist aircraft mechanics in monitoring the operation of the aircraft systems for purposes of maintenance scheduling and repairs.
One automated flight data collection system presently in use is a flight data recorder, conventionally termed a "Black Box". A Black Box is installed on aircraft to record flight data for the purpose of assisting investigators in the event of an accident. However, such devices do not provide a record of the flight data for an entire flight, being designed to record only the last 30 minutes of the flight. Furthermore, the partial flight record on the data recorder is typically not accessible by a ground station or pilot to review the pilot and aircraft performance during the flight. Even if the data stored inside the Black Box were accessible, it would be difficult to analyze and extrapolate that partial flight information to provide a reliable understanding of the entire flight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,494 discloses a solid state memory unit for use in aircraft flight data recorder systems. The memory unit includes an electronically erasable solid state memory and a memory controller circuit. The flight data is continuously stored during the flight, with the oldest data being overwritten with newly acquired flight data. The memory unit includes circuitry for minimizing power dissipation by applying power to the solid state memory only when data is being transferred to the memory and a data protection circuit which prevents memory write and erase operations when the system operating potential falls below a specified level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,625 discloses an aircraft data management system which includes a reconfigurable algorithmic network used to define a set of operations to perform on the flight data. The network defines functional relationships between various flight data and performs data processing operations on the data, with the flight data sources and relationships between data configured by a user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,612 discloses a method for three-dimensional flight control based on using sensors to obtain air pressure data at or near various aircraft surfaces during flight. The air pressure differentials are processed to evaluate flight parameters and determine flight conditions and evaluate aircraft performance.
Thus, although the art does disclose the collection and processing of a limited amount of flight data over a limited time for the purpose of evaluating aircraft performance, it does not disclose a flight data processing system which can automate the preparation of a Pilot Log or similar record of an entire flight. If available, such a record could be used to evaluate a pilot's performance, monitor an aircraft's operation during a flight, and assist in identifying mechanical problems or other safety concerns.
What is desired is a data processing system which automates the collection and analysis of flight data generated during the operation of an aircraft over the entire time of a flight, and which can be used to produce a report of the flight for purposes of monitoring pilot and aircraft performance. It is also desirable that the system be accessible by ground station personnel and aircraft mechanics, and that the data be protected from corruption or alteration by unauthorized personnel.